Systems and methods for soliciting secondary information while maintaining access to primary information

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems to provide for a user to request information over a network ( 702 ) and receive the requested information ( 708 ) through one or more information channels. A user, through a client device, may access, through a network, a web page that is hosted on a server. The server, while providing primary information, may further provide an opportunity for the user to request secondary information ( 710 ). The user may request access to the secondary information, while maintaining access to the primary information. Included in the request may be a channel selection ( 704 ), and associated channel selection information, through which the user wishes to receive the information.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

[0001] This application is related to, and claims priority to, U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/231,298, filed Sep. 8, 2000, entitled“Systems and Methods for Pipeline Surfing” which is expresslyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates generally to soliciting information over anetwork, and more specifically, to requesting and providing access tosecondary information while maintaining access to primary information.

[0004] 2. Background of the Invention

[0005] Conducting commerce over electronic networks has enjoyed anexplosive amount of growth in recent years. These activities, popularlyknown as e-commerce, have flourished over the Internet, generating atremendous amount of revenue for producers of goods and services andproviding consumers with an unparalleled level of choice andconvenience.

[0006] In order to attract consumers and widen existing customer bases,providers of goods and services are utilizing advertising in the form ofelectronic solicitations. These solicitations are typically hosted onweb pages whereby consumers may inquire about the electronicsolicitation while accessing the Internet using a web browser. The userinitiates these inquires by actively selecting the solicitation with auser input device, for example, a mouse. This selection of thesolicitation forces the consumer to leave the web site they werecurrently browsing and accesses a web site that is associated with thesolicitation. The new web page contains information related to thesolicitation and the consumer is free to access other web pagescontained in the web site. However, in order for the consumer to returnto the original web page that contained the solicitation, the user wouldhave to back through the new web pages associated with the solicitation.This process is cumbersome and time consuming. Further, sometimes thelink to the original web page is lost and the consumer is forced toreenter the universal resource locator (URL) of the original web page.

[0007] As a result, because of the problems set forth above, consumersare no longer accessing the solicitations as frequently as they used to.Consumers may only look to access information regarding somesolicitations while not accessing others. This results not only indecreased access of solicitations by consumers, but also lost revenue tothe solicitors or advertisers because the information contained in theirsolicitations are not being viewed by consumers.

[0008] As a result, there is a need for a system that allows a consumerto request information relating to a solicitation while maintainingaccess to the original web page.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In accordance with the principles of the invention, as embodiedand broadly described herein, methods and systems consistent with theprinciples of the present invention provide for accessing secondarysource of information while maintaining access to a primary source ofinformation, executed in a data processing system, including receiving arequest to provide secondary information from a secondary source;presenting a plurality of channels whereby the secondary information isprovided; receiving at least one channel selection and associatedchannel information for providing the secondary information; andproviding the secondary information through at least one specifiedchannel while not interfering with access to the primary source ofinformation.

[0010] It is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description are exemplary andexplanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In the drawings,

[0012]FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary computer system environment in whichsystems and methods, consistent with the principles of the presentinvention, can be implemented;

[0013]FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of the main components of a clientdevice consistent with the principles of the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram of the main components of a servercomputer consistent with the principles of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of the main components of a contentserver computer consistent with the principles of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary flow chart of a method for requestingaccess to secondary information, consistent with the principles of thepresent invention;

[0017]FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary image presented to a user whenaccessing a web page on a server, consistent with the principles of thepresent invention;

[0018]FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary flow chart of a method for requestingaccess to secondary information including channel selection, consistentwith the principles of the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary image that may be presented to a userwhen providing information related to at least one channel selection,consistent with the principles of the present invention;

[0020]FIG. 9 depicts an alternative exemplary image that may bepresented to a user when accessing a web page on a server, consistentwith the principles, of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary image that may be presented to a userwhen accessing the secondary information directly while maintainingaccess to primary information, consistent with the principles of thepresent invention; and

[0022]FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary flow chart of the steps performed bya server in providing access to secondary information, consistent withthe principles of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Reference will now be made in detail to the present invention,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whereverpossible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0024] Overview

[0025] Methods and systems consistent with the principles of the presentinvention provide for a user to request information over a network andreceive the requested information through one or more informationchannels. A user, through a client device, may access, through anetwork, a web page that is hosted on a server. The server, whileproviding primary information, may further provide an opportunity forthe user to request secondary information. The user may request accessto the secondary information, while maintaining access to the primaryinformation. Included in the request may be a channel selection, andassociated channel selection information, through which the user wishesto receive the information.

[0026] System Architecture

[0027]FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of the components of a systemenvironment 100 in which systems and methods consistent with theprinciples of the present invention may be implemented. The componentsof system 100 may be implemented through any suitable combination ofhardware, software, and/or firmware. As shown in FIG. 1, system 100 mayinclude a number of devices, including a plurality of client devices 102and 104, a network 106, a server 108, a content server 110, aninformation database 112, and a solicitor or advertiser server 114.Client devices 102 and 104 may be implemented as personal computers(hereinafter ‘PCs’) or workstations or, in the alternative, may beservers through which client devices may access network 106. Clientdevices 102 and 104 may further be implemented as a dedicated webbrowsing device, a public information kiosk, a Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, or any other type of device whichcan interface with network 106.

[0028] While only two client devices 102 and 104 are illustrated in FIG.1, it can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that anynumber of client devices may be connected to network 106. Further, whileonly one server 108 is depicted in FIG. 1, it can be appreciated by oneof ordinary skill in the art that multiple servers may exist on network106 whereby client device 102 and/or 104 may access primary informationand submit requests for secondary information.

[0029] Network 106 may be implemented through any suitable combinationof communication networks including, for example, the Internet, or asany other type of network including a wide-area network, a local-areanetwork, or a wireless network. Client devices 102 and 104 may accessserver 108 through network 106.

[0030] Content server 110 may be implemented as a server on network 106that contains data files related to opportunities to request secondaryinformation, e.g., solicitations and/or banner advertisements. Thesedata files may include, for example, image files that appear in webpages in the form of, for example, solicitations or banneradvertisements and include opportunities to request secondaryinformation while the web page itself contains primary information. Thedata files may also include HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) links tothe solicitor's or advertiser's server on network 106.

[0031] Additionally, the data files may also contain secondaryinformation relating to the solicitation or advertisement. For example,if the banner advisement was related to a credit card company offering a3.9% interest rate, the secondary information may include the terms ofthe offer, e.g., 3.9% interest rate on new purchases, or purchases at aparticular store, etc. The data files that contain secondary informationmay be stored in various file formats. Thus, if a user is requesting thesecondary information by facsimile, the data file would be in a formatsuitable for faxing. Some or all of these data files may be stored oncontent server 110, or alternatively, in database 112. Content server110 may provide the solicitations and/or banner advertisements to server108 for display and access on web pages hosted by server 108. Contentserver 110 may further provide secondary information to a user or toserver 108.

[0032] Server 114 may be implemented as a solicitor's or advertiser'sserver on network 106. Secondary information may be requested fromserver 114 by client devices 102 and 104, server 108, or content server110.

[0033]FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary diagram of client device 102 that maybe implemented in system environment 100, consistent with the principlesof the present invention. It can be appreciated that the configurationof client device 102 may be similar for all client devices 102 and 104.Client device 102 includes a memory 202, a user interface application204 contained in memory 202, a secondary storage device 206, contactinformation 208, a central processing unit (CPU) 210, and input/outputdevices 212. Memory 202 contains instructions, including user interfaceapplication 204, for execution by CPU 210. User interface 204 may beimplemented as a conventional browser application, includingconventional browser applications available from Microsoft or Netscape.User interface application 204 may also contain an applet, a Java™program, which may contain instructions to add features and capabilitiesfor use with the conventional browser applications. A user can launchuser interface application 204 through input/output devices 212 andaccess server 108 through network 106. Input/output devices 212 mayinclude a keyboard, a mouse, a display, a storage device, a smart cardreader, and/or a printer.

[0034] Contact information 208 may contain information relating to howto contact the user, e.g., e-mail addresses, residence addresses, postoffice addresses, business addresses, telephone numbers, facsimilenumbers, etc. Further, it can be appreciated that contact information208 may be stored on a smart card that can be read by the smart cardreader of device 212 for implementation consistent with principles ofthe present invention. It can further be appreciated that contactinformation 208 may reside at server 108.

[0035]FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary diagram of server 108 that may beimplemented in system environment 100, consistent with the principles ofthe present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, server 108 includes a memory302, a network interface application 304 contained in memory 302, asecondary storage device 306, a CPU 308, and input/output devices 310.Server 108 is connected to network 106 and may be accessed by clientdevices 102 and 104 for accessing and soliciting information. Server 108further may be accessed by content server 110 through network 106.Memory 302 contains instructions, including network interfaceapplication 304, for execution by CPU 310. Network interface application304 may include an application programmed in, for example, Active ServerPages (ASP), Coldfusion, Pearl, etc. whereby the user interfaceapplication 204 may communicate with network interface application 304.Input/output devices 312 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a display, astorage device, and/or a printer.

[0036]FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary diagram of content server 110 that maybe implemented in system environment 100, consistent with the principlesof the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, content server 110includes a memory 402, a network interface application 404 contained inmemory 402, a secondary storage device 406, a CPU 408, and input/outputdevices 410. Content server 110 is connected to network 106 and may beaccessed by server 108 for requesting secondary information. Memory 402contains instructions, including network interface application 404, forexecution by CPU 410. Input/output devices 412 may include a keyboard, amouse, a display, a storage device, and/or a printer. It can beappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the informationcontained in information database 112 may be stored in secondary storagedevice 306 in content server 110.

[0037] Implementation

[0038]FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary flow chart of a method performed by aclient device in requesting access to secondary information, consistentwith the principles of the present invention. Client device 102, throughuser interface application 204, requests access 108 through network 106to a web page on a site generated in network interface application 304on server (Stage 502). Client device 102 receives access to the webpage, which includes primary information and an opportunity to requestsecondary information (Stage 504). For example, if the web page URL iswww.news.com, the information relating to news on the web page may beconsidered the primary information. Other information relating to, e.g.,solicitations or advertisements, provides the user an opportunity torequest secondary information. For example, many companies that provideweb pages now allow other companies to post solicitations or banneradvertisements on their web page. These solicitations or banneradvertisements may be considered an opportunity to request secondaryinformation.

[0039] The user, wishing to receive additional information relating tothe secondary information, may submit a request through client device102 for the secondary information while maintaining access to theprimary information. Included in the request may be at least one channelselection through which the user wishes to receive the secondaryinformation (Stage 506). For example, the channels may include e-mail;facsimile; telephone; regular mail to a residence, post office box, orbusiness address; etc. Once the user submits the request using clientdevice 102, the user may then receive the secondary information throughthe channel, or channels, that were designated in the request for theinformation (Stage 508).

[0040] It can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art thatthese steps may be performed by client device 104, or any other clientdevice that can access a web page on server 108.

[0041]FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary image presented to a user whenaccessing a web page on server 108. As shown in FIG. 6, a web page 602is displayed. Web page 602 may include primary information 604, 606,608, and a mechanism 610 to request secondary information. In thisexample, secondary information mechanism 610 is implemented as asolicitation in a banner advertisement. Channel selection options 612may be included in banner advertisement 610. It can be appreciated byone of ordinary skill in the art that the channel selection options 612may be enabled or disabled by content server 110 or solicitor's oradvertiser's server 114, depending on channels through which the serversare capable of transmitting the information.

[0042]FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary flow chart of the steps performed by aclient device in requesting access to secondary information andincluding in the request channel selection, consistent with theprinciples of the present invention. When a user wishes to requestaccess to secondary information on a web page, he initiates an event atthe location of the secondary information on the web page (Stage 702).For example, he may move his user input device 212, e.g., a mouse, overthe location of the solicitation, or banner advertisement, on thedisplay screen.

[0043] The user then, through the user input device 212, selects atleast one channel selection through which the secondary information maybe provided (Stage 704). This may be accomplished by selecting, throughthe user input device 212, at least one of the channel selectionsdisplayed in the channel selection options 612 (FIG. 6). For example, ifthe user wanted to receive the secondary information via e-mail, theuser would ‘click’ on e-mail 614 using the left button on the mouse.Alternatively, if the user wanted to receive the secondary informationvia facsimile, the user would ‘click’ on fax 616. A similar processwould be used for the channel selection for physical mail 618,including, for example, residential or business mail, phone 620, orother 622, which may include other channels the user may receive theinformation through.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 7, the system then determines whether therelated channel selection information is available (Stage 706). Thesystem may accomplish this by determining if the user's contactinformation is stored in the system. For example, the contactinformation may be stored in a “cookie”, that is a data packet includinginformation sent by a server to a client device and stored on the clientdevice for future access by the server. Alternatively, the contactinformation may be stored in a smart card, which can be read by a smartcard reader and uploaded to user interface application 204 in clientdevice 102 (FIG. 2). In yet another alternative, the contact informationmay have been transmitted to server 108 upon initial access by clientdevice 102 to web page 602. For example, if the user accessed a web pagethat requires the user register in order to access the web page, thecontact information may already be stored on the server.

[0045] If the related channel selection information is not provided(Stage 706, No), the user may provide the related channel selectioninformation (Stage 708). This may occur by providing to the user apop-up window that appears in front of the window containing the webpage 602 display, thereby maintaining access to the primary information.

[0046]FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary image presented to a user to solicitthe user to provide information related to at least one channelselection. As shown in FIG. 8, web page 602 is displayed in thebackground and a pop-up window 802 is displayed in front of web page602. Thus, the connection to server 108 is maintained while the user hasthe opportunity to enter contact information to complete the request forsecondary information. If the user selected e-mail 614 (FIG. 6) in Stage704 (FIG. 7), an indicator 804, such as an asterisk, would appear in thepop-up window next to an e-mail field 806 indicating the user needs toprovide an e-mail address designating where the secondary information isto be sent. Similarly, if the user selected fax 616 in Stage 704,indicator 804 would appear next to a fax field 808. If the user selectedmail 618 in Stage 704, an asterisk 804 would appear next to a mail field810.

[0047] Alternatively, an additional field may be presented to the userrequesting whether the mailing address provided is a residence or abusiness address. If the user selected phone 620 in Stage 704, anasterisk 804 would appear next to phone field 812. If the user selectedother 622, an asterisk 804 would appear next to other field 814. If theuser wanted to receive the secondary information through more than theone channel selected, the user may supply information in those fieldsrelating to all the channel selections desired by the user.

[0048] It can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe display features of the pop-up window may be displayed to the userin alternative formats. For example, the pop-up window may only includethose fields related to the channel selection that the user selected inStage 704.

[0049] If the system determines that the information related to thechannel selection is provided (FIG. 7, Stage 706, Yes), then the systemsubmits a request for secondary information, including the relatedchannel selection information, e.g. the contact information (FIG. 7,Stage 710). This may be implemented in a number of ways. For example,the request may be submitted to the server 108, wherein server 108 wouldrespond to the request by providing the secondary information directlyto the user. That is, the server 108 may send an e-mail (assuming theuser selected e-mail 614 as the channel selection) to the user,including in the e-mail information related to the solicitation orbanner advertisement. Alternatively, the request may be submitteddirectly to server 114, for example, by using a POST command to the HTTPlink embedded in the solicitation or banner advertisement. Server 114may then send the information to the user using the channel selectionsincluded in the request. In another alternative, the request may besubmitted, either directly or through server 108, to content server 110.Content server 110 may then access the secondary information, fromeither secondary storage device 406 or database 112, and respond to therequest, by supplying the secondary information, using the channelselection. If content server 110 does contain the secondary information,content server 110 may request the information from the solicitor's oradvertiser's server 114. Then, when the content server 110 receives theinformation, content server 110 may forward the information to the userusing the specified channels. Alternatively, content server 110 mayforward the request to solicitor's or advertiser's server 114 whereinsolicitor's or advertiser's server 114 may respond to the request.

[0050] It can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art thatonce the request has been submitted for the secondary information, theuser may receive an acknowledgement that the request has beentransmitted and/or received by the device that will respond to therequest. It can further be appreciated that this acknowledgementcapability may be turned off through the user interface application bythe user.

[0051] An alternative to embedding the channel selection options in thesolicitation or banner advertisement, as shown in FIG. 6, provides forincluding the channel selections in another event after the useraccesses the server 108's web site. For example, in initiating an eventat the location of the banner advertisement or solicitation in the webpage (FIG. 7, Stage 702), the user may move his user input device 212,e.g., his mouse, to any location over the solicitation or banneradvertisement and right click. FIG. 9 displays an exemplary imagepresented to the user upon accessing web page on server 108 andperforming a right click event when the user input device 212 is overthe solicitation or banner advertisement. The display of FIG. 9 may beimplemented using an applet for enhancing the features contained in aconventional user interface application.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 9, web page 602 is depicted with banneradvertisement 901. Banner advertisement 901 is displayed in a differentformat than that of banner advertisement 610, in that the channelselection options are not listed. It can be appreciated by one ofordinary skill in the art that this alternative may be implemented wherethe channel selections are included in the banner advertisement, thusthe user may have two alternative methods for selecting the channelselection. Once the right click event occurs, box 902 appears withoptions for the user. For example, the user may select send info 904,which contains a pull-down menu 905, including channel selections e-mail908, fax 910, mail 912, phone 914, and other 916. It can be appreciatedby one of ordinary skill in the art that pull-down menu 905 may includeother channel selections. Once the user selects at least one channelselection (FIG. 7, Stage 704), the method proceeds with the processingas set forth above with regard to the discussion of FIG. 7.

[0053] Additionally, box 902 contains properties 906, which contains apull-down menu including contact information 918 and advertisementinformation 920. Contact information 918 allows a user to input contactinformation for storage in e.g., secondary storage device 206, smartcard device, etc., such that when the user accesses web pages includingsecondary information in the future, the user need not be prompted toenter the contact information when requesting secondary information.Advertisement information 920 may contain secondary information that theuser can directly access while maintaining access to the primaryinformation. It can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the artthat properties 906 may include other options, e.g., a privacy optionwhereby the user may view information relating to the privacy policiesassociated with the request for secondary information.

[0054]FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary display that may be presented to auser when accessing the secondary information directly by selectingproperties 906 and ad info 920. As shown in FIG. 10, a pop-up window1002 appears with secondary information 1006, 1008 relating to thebanner advertisement. Additional pop-up windows may appear if the userwishes to view additional secondary information. Included in pop-upwindow 1002 is an ption box 1004, which includes channel selectionoptions, should the user wish to have the secondary information sent tothem via a channel selection. Also included in option box 1004 is aquick exit option 1006. This feature allows a user to exit out of thepop-up window 1002 and return to web page 602, without having toexercise his browser BACK out of each pop-up window or close each pop-upwindow separately.

[0055]FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary flow chart of the steps performed bya server in providing access to secondary information, consistent withthe principles of the present invention. Server 108 receives a requestfrom client device 102 to access a web page on the site (Stage 1102).Server 108 provides access to a web page, wherein the web page includesis primary information and an opportunity for the user to requestsecondary information (Stage 1104). Server 108 then receives a requestby client device 102 for secondary information. Included in the requestmay be one or more channel selections and related channel selectioninformation (Stage 1106).

[0056] Server 108 then responds to the request (Stage 1108). Inresponding to the request, server 108 may send the secondary informationdirectly to the user through the appropriate channel selection. Thisinformation may be sent electronically, e.g., through conventionale-mail protocols, file transfer protocols, etc., or may be sent byregular mail. Further, this information may be transferred by a humanvoice over a telephone. Alternatively, server 108 may request thesecondary information from content server 110. Once the secondaryinformation is received from content server 110, server 108 thenforwards the secondary information to the user using the appropriatechannel selections. In another alternative, server 108 may forward therequest to content server 110, whereby content server 110 would respondto the request. In yet another alternative, server 108 may forward therequest directly to the solicitor's or advertiser's server 114, wherebyserver 114 would respond to the request.

[0057] It can be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art thatserver 108 may further send the request to a mail server, not shown, onnetwork 106 to fulfill a physical mail request. Similarly, it can beappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that server 108 mayfurther send the request to an e-mail server, not shown, on network 106to fulfill an e-mail request. It can further be appreciated by one ofordinary skill in the art that server 108 may send the request to afacsimile server, not shown, on network 106 to fulfill an e-facsimilerequest.

[0058] Conclusion

[0059] Modifications and adaptations of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Theforegoing description of an implementation of the invention has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notexhaustive and does not limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teachings or may be acquired from the practicing of the invention.For example, the described implementation includes software, but systemsand methods consistent with the present invention may be implemented asa combination of hardware and software or in hardware alone.Additionally, although aspects of the present invention are describedfor being stored in memory, one skilled in the art will appreciate thatthese aspects can also be stored on other types of computer-readablemedia, such as secondary storage devices, for example, hard disks,floppy disks, or CD-ROM; the Internet or other propagation medium; orother forms of RAM or ROM. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing access to secondaryinformation while maintaining access to primary information, comprising:receiving a request to provide secondary information while accessing aprimary source of information; presenting a plurality of channelselections by which the secondary information may be provided; receivingat least one channel selection and associated channel information forproviding the secondary information; and providing the secondaryinformation through the at least one specified channel while maintainingaccess to the primary source of information.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the channel selection includes at least one of e-mail,facsimile, regular mail, and telephone.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the secondary information relates to a banner advertisementcontained in a web page.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thepresentment of the plurality of channels is embedded in the banneradvertisement.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting theplurality of channels whereby the secondary information may be providedfurther includes: receiving a signal from a user input device; andpresenting the plurality of channels through a user interfaceapplication.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the secondaryinformation through the at least one specified channel while maintainingaccess to the primary source of information further includes: submittinga request to a server for the secondary information.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the server is at least one of a content server and anadvertiser's server.
 8. A method for providing access to secondaryinformation while maintaining access to primary information, comprising:receiving a request to provide secondary information while maintainingaccess to primary information; presenting a plurality of channelswhereby the secondary information may be provided; receiving at leastone channel selection and associated channel information for providingthe secondary information; and responding to the request.
 9. The methodof claim 8, wherein the channel selection includes at least one ofe-mail, facsimile, regular mail, and telephone.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein the secondary information relates to a banner advertisementcontained in a web page.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein thepresentment of the plurality of channels is embedded in the banneradvertisement.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein presenting theplurality of channels whereby the secondary information may be providedfurther includes: receiving a signal from a user input device; andpresenting the plurality of channels through a user interfaceapplication.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein responding to therequest includes: transmitting the request to a server, wherein theserver transmits the secondary information in response to the request.14. The method of claim 13, wherein the server is at least one of acontent server and an advertiser's server.
 15. A method for solicitingsecondary information while maintaining access to primary information,comprising: accessing primary information including an opportunity toreceive secondary information; requesting secondary information throughat least one channel selection while maintaining access to primaryinformation and including in the request associated channel information;and receiving the secondary information through the at least onespecified channel.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the specifiedchannel may include at least one of a by mail, electronic mail,facsimile, and telephone.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein thesecondary information related to an advertisement.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the at least one channel selection is specifiedthrough a user interface application.
 19. The method of claim 15,wherein requesting secondary information through at least one channelselection further includes: initiating an event at the location on adisplay of the opportunity to receive secondary information; selectingat least one channel selection presented after initiating the event. 20.The method of claim 19, wherein the event is initiated using a userinput device.
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least onechannel selection is presented in the opportunity to request secondaryinformation.
 22. The method of claim 15, wherein the opportunity torequest secondary information is a banner advertisement.
 23. A methodfor soliciting access to secondary information while maintaining accessto primary information comprising: submitting a request to solicitsecondary information while accessing primary information; receiving therequest to solicit secondary information and providing a plurality ofchannel selections by which the secondary information may be provided;submitted a request through at least one channel selection whilemaintaining access to primary information and including in the requestassociated channel selection information; and receiving the requestincluding the at least one channel selection and associated channelselection information and processing the request.
 24. An apparatus forproviding access to secondary information while maintaining access toprimary information, comprising: a memory having program instructions; adisplay screen; and a processor responsive to the program instructionsto receive a request to provide secondary information while accessing aprimary source of information; present a plurality of channel selectionsby which the secondary information may be provided; receive at least onechannel selection and associated channel information for providing thesecondary information; and provide the secondary information through theat least one specified channel while maintaining access to the primarysource of information.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein thechannel selection includes at least one of e-mail, facsimile, regularmail, and telephone.
 26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein thesecondary information relates to a banner advertisement contained in aweb page.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the presentment of theplurality of channels is embedded in the banner advertisement.
 28. Theapparatus of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive a signal from a user input device; and present the plurality ofchannels through a user interface application.
 29. The apparatus ofclaim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to: submit arequest to a server for the secondary information.
 30. The method ofclaim 39, wherein the server is at least one of a content server and anadvertiser's server.
 31. An apparatus for providing access to secondaryinformation while maintaining access to primary information, comprising:a memory having program instructions; a display screen; and a processorresponsive to the program instructions to receive a request to providesecondary information while maintaining access to primary information;present a plurality of channels whereby the secondary information may beprovided; receive at least one channel selection and associated channelinformation for providing the secondary information; and respond to therequest.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the channel selectionincludes at least one of e-mail, facsimile, regular mail, and telephone.33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the secondary information relatesto a banner advertisement contained in a web page.
 34. The apparatus ofclaim 33, wherein the presentment of the plurality of channels isembedded in the banner advertisement.
 35. The apparatus of claim 31,wherein the processor is further configured to: receive a signal from auser input device; and present the plurality of channels through a userinterface application.
 36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: transmit the request to a server,wherein the server transmits the secondary information in response tothe request.
 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the server is atleast one of a content server and an advertiser's server.
 38. Anapparatus for soliciting secondary information while maintaining accessto primary information, comprising: a memory having programinstructions; a display screen; and a processor responsive to theprogram instructions to access primary information including anopportunity to receive secondary information; request secondaryinformation through at least one channel selection while maintainingaccess to primary information and including in the request associatedchannel information; and receive the secondary information through theat least one specified channel.
 39. The apparatus of claim 38, whereinthe specified channel may include at least one of a by mail, electronicmail, facsimile, and telephone.
 40. The apparatus of claim 15, whereinthe secondary information related to an advertisement.
 41. The apparatusof claim 38, wherein the at least one channel selection is specifiedthrough a user interface application.
 42. The apparatus of claim 38,wherein the processor is further configured to: initiate an event at thelocation on a display of the opportunity to receive secondaryinformation; select at least one channel selection presented afterinitiating the event.
 43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the eventis initiated using a user input device.
 44. The apparatus of claim 38,wherein the at least one channel selection is presented in theopportunity to request secondary information.
 45. The apparatus of claim38, wherein the opportunity to request secondary information is a banneradvertisement.
 46. An apparatus for soliciting access to secondaryinformation while maintaining access to primary information comprising:a memory having program instructions; a display screen; and a processorresponsive to the program instructions to submit a request to solicitsecondary information while accessing primary information; receive therequest to solicit secondary information and providing a plurality ofchannel selections by which the secondary information may be provided;submit a request through at least one channel selection whilemaintaining access to primary information and including in the requestassociated channel selection information; and receive the requestincluding the at least one channel selection and associated channelselection information and processing the request.
 47. Acomputer-readable medium containing instructions for providing access tosecondary information while maintaining access to primary information,comprising: receiving a request to provide secondary information whileaccessing a primary source of information; presenting a plurality ofchannel selections by which the secondary information may be provided;receiving at least one channel selection and associated channelinformation for providing the secondary information; and providing thesecondary information through the at least one specified channel whilemaintaining access to the primary source of information.
 48. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the channel selectionincludes at least one of e-mail, facsimile, regular mail, and telephone.49. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein the secondaryinformation relates to a banner advertisement contained in a web page.50. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein the presentment ofthe plurality of channels is embedded in the banner advertisement. 51.The computer-readable medium of claim 47, wherein presenting theplurality of channels whereby the secondary information may be providedfurther includes: receiving a signal from a user input device; andpresenting the plurality of channels through a user interfaceapplication.
 52. The computer-readable medium of claim 47, whereinproviding the secondary information through the at least one specifiedchannel while maintaining access to the primary source of informationfurther includes: submitting a request to a server for the secondaryinformation.
 53. The computer-readable medium of claim 52, wherein theserver is at least one of a content server and an advertiser's server.54. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for providingaccess to secondary information while maintaining access to primaryinformation, comprising: receiving a request to provide secondaryinformation while maintaining access to primary information; presentinga plurality of channels whereby the secondary information may beprovided; receiving at least one channel selection and associatedchannel information for providing the secondary information; andresponding to the request.
 55. The computer-readable medium of claim 54,wherein the channel selection includes at least one of e-mail,facsimile, regular mail, and telephone.
 56. The computer-readable mediumof claim 54, wherein the secondary information relates to a banneradvertisement contained in a web page.
 57. The computer-readable mediumof claim 56, wherein the presentment of the plurality of channels isembedded in the banner advertisement.
 58. The computer-readable mediumof claim 54, wherein presenting the plurality of channels whereby thesecondary information may be provided further includes: receiving asignal from a user input device; and presenting the plurality ofchannels through a user interface application.
 59. The computer-readablemedium of claim 54, wherein responding to the request includes:transmitting the request to a server, wherein the server transmits thesecondary information in response to the request.
 60. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 59, wherein the server is at least oneof a content server and an advertiser's server.
 61. A computer-readablemedium containing instructions for soliciting secondary informationwhile maintaining access to primary information, comprising: accessingprimary information including an opportunity to receive secondaryinformation; requesting secondary information through at least onechannel selection while maintaining access to primary information andincluding in the request associated channel information; and receivingthe secondary information through the at least one specified channel.62. The computer-readable medium of claim 61, wherein the specifiedchannel may include at least one of a by mail, electronic mail,facsimile, and telephone.
 63. The computer-readable medium of claim 61,wherein the secondary information related to an advertisement.
 64. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 61, wherein the at least one channelselection is specified through a user interface application.
 65. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 61, wherein requesting secondaryinformation through at least one channel selection further includes:initiating an event at the location on a display of the opportunity toreceive secondary information; selecting at least one channel selectionpresented after initiating the event.
 66. The computer-readable mediumof claim 65, wherein the event is initiated using a user input device.67. The computer-readable medium of claim 61, wherein the at least onechannel selection is presented in the opportunity to request secondaryinformation.
 68. The computer-readable medium of claim 61, wherein theopportunity to request secondary information is a banner advertisement.69. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for solicitingaccess to secondary information while maintaining access to primaryinformation comprising: submitting a request to solicit secondaryinformation while accessing primary information; receiving the requestto solicit secondary information and providing a plurality of channelselections by which the secondary information may be provided; submitteda request through at least one channel selection while maintainingaccess to primary information and including in the request associatedchannel selection information; and receiving the request including theat least one channel selection and associated channel selectioninformation and processing the request.
 70. A system for providingaccess to secondary information while maintaining access to primaryinformation, comprising: means for receiving a request to providesecondary information while accessing a primary source of information;means for presenting a plurality of channel selections by which thesecondary information may be provided; means for receiving at least onechannel selection and associated channel information for providing thesecondary information; and means for providing the secondary informationthrough the at least one specified channel while maintaining access tothe primary source of information.
 71. The system of claim 70, whereinthe channel selection includes at least one of e-mail, facsimile,regular mail, and telephone.
 72. The system of claim 70, wherein thesecondary information relates to a banner advertisement contained in aweb page.
 73. The system of claim 72, wherein the presentment of theplurality of channels is embedded in the banner advertisement.
 74. Thesystem of claim 70, wherein presenting the plurality of channels wherebythe secondary information may be provided further includes: means forreceiving a signal from a user input device; and means for presentingthe plurality of channels through a user interface application.
 75. Thesystem of claim 70, wherein providing the secondary information throughthe at least one specified channel while maintaining access to theprimary source of information further includes: means for submitting arequest to a server for the secondary information.
 76. The system ofclaim 75, wherein the server is at least one of a content server and anadvertiser's server.
 77. A system for providing access to secondaryinformation while maintaining access to primary information, comprising:means for receiving a request to provide secondary information whilemaintaining access to primary information; means for presenting aplurality of channels whereby the secondary information may be provided;means for receiving at least one channel selection and associatedchannel information for providing the secondary information; and meansfor responding to the request.
 78. The system of claim 77, wherein thechannel selection includes at least one of e-mail, facsimile, regularmail, and telephone.
 79. The system of claim 77, wherein the secondaryinformation relates to a banner advertisement contained in a web page.80. The system of claim 78, wherein the presentment of the plurality ofchannels is embedded in the banner advertisement.
 81. The system ofclaim 77, wherein presenting the plurality of channels whereby thesecondary information may be provided further includes: means forreceiving a signal from a user input device; and means for presentingthe plurality of channels through a user interface application.
 82. Thesystem of claim 77, wherein responding to the request includes: meansfor transmitting the request to a server, wherein the server transmitsthe secondary information in response to the request.
 83. The system ofclaim 82, wherein the server is at least one of a content server and anadvertiser's server.
 84. A system for soliciting secondary informationwhile maintaining access to primary information, comprising: means foraccessing primary information including an opportunity to receivesecondary information; means for requesting secondary informationthrough at least one channel selection while maintaining access toprimary information and including in the request associated channelinformation; and means for receiving the secondary information throughthe at least one specified channel.
 85. The system of claim 84, whereinthe specified channel may include at least one of a by mail, electronicmail, facsimile, and telephone.
 86. The system of claim 84, wherein thesecondary information related to an advertisement.
 87. The system ofclaim 84, wherein the at least one channel selection is specifiedthrough a user interface application.
 88. The system of claim 84,wherein requesting secondary information through at least one channelselection further includes: means for initiating an event at thelocation on a display of the opportunity to for receive secondaryinformation; means for selecting at least one channel selectionpresented after initiating the event.
 89. The system of claim 88,wherein the event is initiated using a user input device.
 90. The systemof claim 84, wherein the at least one channel selection is presented inthe opportunity to request secondary information.
 91. The system ofclaim 84, wherein the opportunity to request secondary information is abanner advertisement.
 92. A system for soliciting access to secondaryinformation while maintaining access to primary information comprising:means for submitting a request to solicit secondary information whileaccessing primary information; means for receiving the request tosolicit secondary information and providing a plurality of channelselections by which the secondary information may be provided; means forsubmitted a request through at least one channel selection whilemaintaining access to primary information and including in the requestassociated channel selection information; and means for receiving therequest including the at least one channel selection and associatedchannel selection information and processing the request.